


Sworn to Defend the Innocent

by mallardeer



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-09-27 22:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10055603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mallardeer/pseuds/mallardeer
Summary: The kingdom rots from the inside out. First the king falls, and then his son, the crown prince, is infected with a dangerous paranoia. Where once there had been a strong alliance between House Luthor and House El, by the time Alexander is crowned king, his boyhood friend Prince Kal-El is his sworn enemy.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not understand how people are named on Krypton. I’m using the –El suffix as a sort of family designation and just having everyone who loves our friend Superman call him Kal. Also, I have no idea how old any of these people are supposed to be in the TV universe, but for the sake of this, let’s just say Kara and Lena are about four years younger than Kal-El and Lex.

King Lionel had ruled his kingdom justly and well for many a year. He had raised his son Alexander to do the same. If he never inspired love in his subjects, he had done more than enough to earn their respect. And if some people, at court and abroad, had raised eyebrows about the sudden adoption of a dark-haired orphan girl into the heart of the royal family, no one had spoken out against it. They hadn't dared.

It was Prince Lex, along with his brother in arms, the son of House El, Prince Kal, whom the kingdom had loved. She—well, she had always been tolerated because the king had commanded it, and because Lex and Kal had doted on her. She was happy to tag along in their wake—happier still when Kal's young cousin Kara accompanied him. 

Kara was golden-haired and shining, where she was dark and unknowable, but Kara drew her into her orbit effortlessly. There were games and sparring lessons aplenty when Kara and Kal were their guests. Where she and Lex quietly excelled at games of strategy, Kara and Kal joyfully displayed their physical gifts. 

It was impossible not to love the bright-eyed, straight-backed children of El, who were unfailingly generous and kind. Having been allowed into the inner circle of the favorite royal children, her place in the Luthor family became more secure. 

And so she spends her childhood with Lex as her mentor, and she learns as much about the kingdom as she can. When they go to Krypton, Kal and Kara delight in their visits, and she thinks her brother is never happier than when Kal is at his side. Certainly, she is never happier than she is with Kara as her companion. 

The twin kingdoms are peaceful and prosperous, and she grows up feeling secure in her family and friendships. She hasn’t yet learned that when things are this good, they don’t last. 

Lionel gets sick. It is just after the kingdom has concluded a week’s long celebration for Lex’s 21st birthday. Kal and Kara have just left with Jor-El to return to Krypton. She has found it harder and harder to leave Kara every time their visits come to an end. While Lex is still buoyed by the celebration of his coming of age, she is pining for their next visit to Krypton. And then the illness falls.

Not one doctor can figure out what is wrong with the king. Lillian and Lex send for all the best doctors in both kingdoms, but they are perplexed. Lex notices that his father's newest adviser, a refugee from a war across the mountains, has disappeared. And so the rumors begin. The queen only fans their flames, and Lex, in his grief, believes everything she says. 

When the king dies, Lex and Lillian, now convinced of foreign witchcraft, send a request to King Jor-El for aid in avenging his death. Prince Kal and Princess Kara come as his emissaries to offer condolences but to ultimately refuse this request. Jor-El has no wish to get involved in a disastrous war and has in fact opened his kingdom to the refugees who make it across the mountains. He sees no evidence of witchcraft anywhere. 

Kara sits beside her in the throne room as Lex and Kal thunder at each other, both convinced the other is dangerously out of his mind. "I'm from across the mountains, you know," she confesses to Kara, horrified to see her beloved brother act this way. Until Kal had come to bring his father's refusal, she had had no idea how bad it had gotten with Lex.

"I know," Kara murmurs. "I don't believe any of the rumors." The princess bathes her in a golden smile, flooding the shadows of doubt and fear from her mind. For a little while. 

"If your father will not send aid, then I will be forced to assume he is harboring my father's murderers," Lex says, suddenly deathly quiet, and Kal virtually turns to stone.

Kara gasps, and they both look to the queen, but Lillian remains impassive. "Kara, get your things, and meet me at the gates in half an hour," Kal orders quietly, and Kara scrambles to obey.

"I had hoped to bring you comfort, brother," he says to Lex, before bowing to Lillian and turning to smile at her. "Be well, your highness," he says, and gestures to his guardsmen to follow him out. 

Without looking at either her mother or brother, she flees to her own chambers, worried for the Kryptonians and for herself. Minutes later, she hears a knock at her door. It's Kara, dressed in her traveling clothes, red cloak lopsided on her shoulders. "I'm sorry to leave you like this, your highness," she says, breathless.

"Kara," is all she can manage to say, shaking her head in disbelief. She reaches out to set her cloak to rights, and Kara smiles sadly. 

“Be safe. Be well,” she whispers, pressing something into her hand. “Call on me if you ever have need.”

And Kara is gone in a flash, almost as if she were never there at all. 

She watches from a seldom-used tower room as Kal, Kara, and their people swiftly ride out from the palace, suddenly wishing Kara had offered to take her with them. But that thought is weakness, and she banishes it. It isn't until the Kryptonians are out of sight that she thinks to look at the gift Kara has left with her. It is a slim gold chain, from which dangles the shield of the House of El. She slips it over her head and immediately hides it beneath her clothes.

Undaunted by Jor-El's refusal, the queen launches an inquisition to ferret out the king's murderers. The foreign-born go into hiding, as neighbors grow suspicious of each other. She avoids her mother as the kingdom begins to fall into disarray, but still tries to talk to Lex. After weeks of her pleas falling on deaf ears, she is forced to accept that he is no longer the brother she grew up adoring.

There are no more visits from their dearest friends, and she is isolated once more. No one wastes time on reviving the rumors about her mysterious appearance, but unless Lex can actually figure out what’s happening, she knows it’s only a matter of time. 

Finally, a report is brought to Lex and Lillian that convinces both of them the solution is to attack Krypton. And so Jor-El is, in the end, pulled into a disastrous war. 

Lex will not listen to reason, even when it becomes clear to most that Krypton harbors no dangerous agents, and so the war rages for nearly a year. It ends when Jor-El is killed, and Kal, in his grief, kills Lex. Without their king, the Luthor men throw down their arms, and a peace is established. But it has been a bitter fight, and the alliance is tenuous at best. 

The whispers about outsiders grow stronger; the tide begins to turn against even beloved Prince Kal. There is no shortage of those who wonder if he played a part in their own beloved prince’s descent into paranoia. But there’s an easier target of their anger and suspicion than the bright-eyed prince of Krypton and finally, the whispers about the adopted princess return. 

She keeps to the shadows, as Lillian rules in her son’s absence. 

In Krpyton, Kal-El is crowned king, and not one person from House Luthor is there—on Lillian’s orders. At home, once Lex has been laid to rest, everyone is stunned to discover he had named his adopted sister his heir. She decides the only reason Lillian does not fight this is because she is convinced she can make her her puppet. 

The new king sends Princess Kara to her coronation. 

After the necessary pomp, she retreats to her chambers as soon as possible. Mere minutes later, Kara finds her there. "Are you all right?" Kara worries, and she tries to smile bravely.

"Well. I have no idea," she sighs. “I never expected to be queen, you know. Lex might have told me he’d named me his heir.”

Kara nods, arms crossed over her chest. “I wonder what he thought he was doing,” she murmurs, and Lena looks at her questioningly. “Either way, he clearly made the right choice.”

“Oh. Please. Not flattery from you too, Kara. I can’t take it.”

“This is not empty flattery, Lena,” Kara insists gently. She puts an arm around her waist and settles them both, side by side, on the low couch in front of a window. “You know I believe in you.”

She lets her head fall to Kara’s shoulder and relaxes—slightly. Kara draws her closer, and she takes comfort from the strength and solidity of her friend. “I’m glad you’re here,” she says quietly.

“I will always be here when you need me,” Kara promises, her voice so serious it sends a chill up Lena’s spine. 

They stay side by side on the couch for a long time, until Lena’s ladies—and Kara’s—come in to check on them. They’re bullied into getting dressed for bed by fond women only slightly older than they are, and Lena could almost cry at how simple and domestic it all seems, after the ridiculous formality of her coronation. Without asking her, Kara announces quietly that she’ll be staying with the queen for the evening, and the ladies curtsy and leave them to themselves. 

“I am perfectly capable of sleeping on my own,” she tries to protest.

“I’m not capable of letting you,” Kara replies, in a tone that will brook no argument. 

They haven’t shared a bed since they were children, telling each other stories of knights and ladies, giggling about the silly things Lex and Kal had started doing in front of pretty girls. As she tentatively settles into bed beside Kara, she realizes how much she’s missed her longtime friend. The tears come, unbidden and silently—or so she thinks. 

Kara carefully pulls her into her arms and places a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s all right, Lena,” she whispers, and she cries herself to sleep, safe in the haven of the princess’s embrace. 

She is lucky that Kara stays with her for a fortnight after the coronation, a friendly face and shoulder to lean on as she begins her task of fixing what Lex has destroyed. Kara comes to her chambers most nights and holds her so she can fall asleep, even though Lena knows it’s unwise to grow accustomed to it. She is unable to deny herself that small comfort. 

When Kara returns home, she feels more lonely than she ever could have anticipated. It is, perhaps, fortunate that there is so much hard, complicated work for the new queen to turn her attention to. Though doubt about her ability to rule is everywhere, Lionel—and Lex—had seen to her education. She knows about politics, about flattery and scheming. She accomplishes both better than an outsider should, according to one segment of the court, and the witchcraft rumors never go away, even as she begins to put the kingdom to rights. But she knows who the true threats are, how to give them just enough to keep them from becoming dangerous, and she knows how to cultivate allies.

But no matter who she sends or where she spies, she can never truly figure out what Lillian’s goal is. For she is there, always, now playing the part of doting mother, and she is unable to call her out. It is an uncomfortable truth that many people still mean Lillian when they say, “the queen.”

But slowly, she shapes a core group of nobles she can count on. Through them, she begins the long, slow process of rebuilding the kingdom. Lillian puts on a great show of support, but there is always an edge to her words. 

And now there are mutterings when the Kryptonian princess comes to visit as King Kal-El’s emissary to the new queen’s court. The people have forgotten quickly that Lex had caused his own demise, had dragged them into an unnecessary war with their closest ally. They remember him as their brilliant crown prince, not their paranoid king. The tide is turning toward outsiders again—and all signs for this point back to Lillian. But with her own position so precarious, there is little she can do to challenge her mother.

Still, she does what she can, what she must, and what she knows she must do is strengthen the alliance with Krypton. There are now real reports of the trouble from across the mountains coming this way. She still refuses to believe in witchcraft, however. Ordinary people with ordinary weapons can cause plenty of damage.

In the midst of this increasing anxiety, Lillian falls ill. Her mother has a group of fervent supporters, but there is little love for the dowager queen in the court and throughout the kingdom. Still, any occurrence of this mysterious disease sparks fear. All eyes turn to her, their foreign-born queen.

Her allies begin to fade away one by one, as the doctors still fail to treat the unknown disease. Then word reaches her that Kal and Kara have gone to the mountains—some say to fight off the northern sorcerers who are now threatening Krypton. When that news reaches the rest of her kingdom, the rising paranoia is impossible to check.

And then Lillian dies.

It is less than a fortnight later that she is wrenched from her bed in the middle of the night, to be read an accusation of treason by Lillian’s younger brother, a duke of little standing, but the closest to the bloodline of the throne. For crimes against the royal family and the kingdom, she is hauled to the dungeons. 

She is left there for several days with little water and even less food, but she hardly notices or cares. Everything she'd ever held dear has slowly slipped through her grasp. And the only two people she could ever really count on are unreachable. 

A kind guard comes one morning with a full meal and an offer to send word to anyone the queen thinks might be able to aid her. So she writes a letter to Kara, even though she believes it to be futile, and sends it off. 

Two days later, she is dragged from her cell and brought to her ladies in waiting. “Make her presentable,” a guard captain orders, and she is scrubbed and dressed in only an old shift. 

"I'm sorry, your majesty," Morgan whispers, and she presses something into her hand before the guards whisk her away.

It is Kara's necklace, and it ignites a dangerous spark of hope in her chest. She clutches the pendant tightly and lets the guard bind up her hands before he leads her out to the castle's main courtyard. 

A large group of nobles, the entire court and more, is gathered, looking pensive. Her uncle, the duke, stands beside a large white horse. He wears gleaming silver armor and the colors of House Luthor. He has already claimed his victory over her. 

“Welcome to your trial, your majesty,” he says, bowing low to mock her. 

“Trial by combat, a bit old-fashioned, don’t you think, your grace?” she returns, poised as ever, and she is grateful to hear some snickers and muttering from the assembled crowd.

“It is the prescribed way to deal with witchcraft,” he replies stiffly. “Now. You know how this works. Name your champion.”

She casts around, looking for any sign that she still has an ally at court. A few of the younger nobles, those she and Lex grew up with, have the grace to look abashed, but of course no one volunteers. She refuses to admit defeat, and so she raises her shackled hands in front of her and steps toward her uncle. 

“I name myself,” she declares, drawing herself up, but the blare of a trumpet outside the gates drowns her out.

“What in god’s name?” the duke swears, as the gates are hastily opened, and two horses clatter into the courtyard.

She instantly recognizes the blue and red of House El’s banners and sees that the trumpeter is a squire who often rode with Kara and Kal. The spark of hope becomes a flame. Has her letter actually reached her allies in time?

“What is the meaning of this?” the duke demands. 

“I believe you asked the queen to name her champion. I apologize for my tardiness,” the lead rider replies, removing her helm. 

An agitated murmur goes through the crowd as everyone realizes that Kara Zor-El has presented herself as the queen’s champion. If they kill the golden child of the House of El, they could very well start another war with Krypton.bThe hope flares hotter, as she dares to wonder if that might be enough to stop this farce completely. 

Kara hurries to her side. Up close, she can see the princess's armor is battered, and she wears bandages on her face, arms, and neck. She cannot contain her horror. 

"Kara! You can't fight for me, not like this." Glad as she is to see her friend, her heart absolutely plummets as she realizes that even the weasely duke might kill her in this state. 

“Too late,” Kara says, with a tired smile. “Kal is on my heels, but I'm the better rider."

“What happened to you?” she demands.

“Later,” Kara insists. “Lord Gideon, I present myself as Queen Lena’s champion,” she announces, head high, back straight, looking just as Lena remembers her from their childhood for an instant.

But the dirt of travel and the weight of her injuries cannot be ignored, and Lena starts to despair. To die was one thing, but to have to watch Kara die in an attempt to protect her—she cannot bear it. 

“Don’t do this. Don’t put yourself at risk for me,” she begs, but Kara shakes her head.

“You are my oldest friend. I know you're innocent, and the House of El is sworn to defend the innocent."

“How do you know? I come from the same place as all this trouble,” she says bitterly. 

“You would never kill anyone, Lena,” Kara insists, and Lena wonders if she believes her. 

"I still can't let you do this." She puts her hands over Kara's and doesn't fail to notice the way Kara glares at her bonds. Or how unsteady Kara’s hands have become. 

She turns away. "Lord Gideon. I am my own champion. And as you are the challenger, I will name the weapons of this duel."

"Lena," Kara hisses, but Lena makes herself deaf, and again holds out her bound hands to her uncle. 

“That is correct and fair,” he allows, but he is frowning. He has arrayed himself in the finest battle armor, clearly to put on a show, and he has to know that the queen will not be challenging him to physical combat. 

"A chess game," she says, and the duke smiles widely. He is somewhat renowned for his skill at the game, but Lena is not frightened. And she will not risk Kara.

"It is agreed, then. A trial by chess," he declares, and the crowd mutters. 

A guard unlocks her shackles, and Kara puts her travel-stained red cloak around her shoulders. "What do they think they’re doing, having you out here in only your shift?" she mutters, shooting murderous looks at the duke.

"Thank you, Kara," she says gently, drawing the cloak around herself.

The duke's men quickly set up a table and produce a chess set. "Please, have someone see to Princess Kara's injuries," she commands, hoping someone will still treat her as their queen.

Her own ladies in waiting, Morgan and Vivien, appear and attempt to lead Kara inside, but Kara stands right in front of the crowd, arms crossed over her chest, and refuses to move. She laughs ruefully. She should have known better than to try to tell Kara what to do. 

And so she sits on the white side of the board, and her uncle sits across from her. "A shame you did not let me kill Kara Zor-El," he murmurs snidely. "I could have avenged our king's death."

Lena says nothing, but waits for him to say the game will begin. And then she makes her first move. 

He is a difficult opponent at first, but slowly she sees his pattern emerging, and then it's two moves until she says, "Checkmate."

The crowd, which has been muttering uneasily for the past hour, erupts. Her uncle, rage all over his face, smashes the table out of the way and reaches for his sword. But before he can unsheath it, there is another sword at his throat. "You would really try that? Right now?" Kara asks, standing upright and strong as ever, though Lena can see the pain it's causing her. 

"The queen is innocent!" Lord Calum, one of her last allies to disappear, declares. He bows to her as formally as he can. 

"Innocent!" the crowd replies, and there are some scattered cheers.

“Your majesty,” Lord Calum says, “I beg forgiveness for my cowardice.”

She is in no position to spurn allies, so she forgives him on the spot. "To the dungeons with my uncle, I think," she says calmly. "And medical attention for the princess."

Her orders are carried out instantly, and Lord Calum directs the rest of the court. Bone-weary, light-headed, but suffused with relief, she turns to enter the palace. Her ladies in waiting materialize at her side as soon as she steps across the threshold, and she is soon whisked back to her chambers for a longer bath and a meal.

When she is properly dressed, she receives word that Kal-El is waiting for her with his retinue. “And the princess?” she demands, and is assured that Kara is being well taken care of. 

Kal and his people are in the throne room, and when she appears, he breaks all protocol and wraps her up in a tight hug. “Your majesty,” she laughs, but she rests her head against his shoulder. 

She pulls away and anxiously looks him over. He is in somewhat better shape than his cousin, but only barely. “Please forgive my tardiness—my absence, your majesty,” Kal says gravely, and bows to her. 

The rest of the Kryptonian retinue also bows, and she is led to her throne to properly receive her visitors. Kal tells her of the battle at the foot of the mountains and what he’s learned of the kingdoms on the other side. She knows she should be paying attention, but all she can think of is Kara.

Kara, who raced to her side in spite of grievous injuries. Kara, who struggled to stand upright but faced her uncle without fear.

Kara, who willingly would have died for her. 

She realizes Kal has stopped talking, and she sighs. “Your majesty, I know all of this is of great importance, but all of us are in need of rest and a meal and medical attention.”

Kal-El cannot argue. “Tomorrow, we must hold a council,” he says, and she agrees.

The Kryptonians are led to the visitors’ wing, with orders to see to their every need, and Lena retreats to her own chambers. She has plans to discover how Kara is faring, but after days in the dungeon, her bed is too welcoming to ignore. She sinks into it and doesn’t wake until morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like this is going to be longer than 2 chapters after all.

She jolts awake, terrified because she doesn’t know where she is or how she’ll get to Lena in time, and she tries to launch herself out of bed, but her limbs are made of lead. But then there’s a gentle hand on her forehead, and a voice telling her everything is fine. 

“Lena?” she croaks, as the world slowly comes into focus. 

“I’m here, Kara,” the voice promises, and Kara’s entire body goes slack with relief. 

“I dreamt I didn’t get here in time,” she whispers, closing her eyes again, and Lena carefully strokes her hair back from her forehead. “But you didn’t even need me, did you?” she remembers, smiling. She beams at Lena, who blushes and looks away. 

“Of course I did, Kara. I was almost without hope until you arrived.” 

“I’m glad to lend any aid I can, your majesty,” she says, and Lena smiles. “It is, perhaps, fortunate that you did not need me to fight anyone.” 

“Yes,” Lena says shortly, and Kara frowns. 

“What is it?” she asks. 

“He would have killed you,” Lena says quietly. “I cannot stop…” She shakes her head and tries to smile again. 

Kara struggles to sit up, but pain shoots through her abdomen, and she collapses. “Easy,” Lena says. “You have several broken ribs.” 

“Mm. Certainly feels like it,” Kara says grimly. “Is Kal here?” she asks, suddenly remembering her cousin—and their people. 

“Yes. Everyone is safe and well. Kal says he has important news about the war across the mountains, but I… couldn’t do anything else until I knew you were all right.” 

Kara feels heat in her cheeks, and Lena looks away for a moment. “You and Kal…must hold a council of war,” she says reluctantly. “The trouble across the mountains is advancing. We have delayed it, but we could not turn it back.” 

Lena closes her eyes, and Kara can see how exhausted she still is. She would give anything to be able to gather Lena in her arms and protect her from all of her problems. But she couldn’t do that even if she were healthy and whole. So she reaches for her friend’s hand and gently squeezes her fingers. 

“We have barely recovered from our last war,” she says, a note of despair in her voice. 

“We are here to help,” Kara says gently. 

“Why? Why are you here, after all my brother and my mother have done to you?” she asks plaintively. 

“Because you are not your mother or your brother. Kal still trusts you.” 

“And you?” Lena asks quietly, fixing her with questioning eyes. 

“I have always believed in you. Your majesty.” Kara inclines her head, the best she can do for a bow at the moment, and tries to convey more than reverence or respect. “Your kingdom has begun to flourish again, under your rule.” 

“To be dragged into war again will be disastrous,” Lena says, clearly frustrated. 

“I know,” Kara says gently. “But disaster is coming either way. Our only chance is to…mitigate it.” 

Lena closes her eyes, and Kara wishes again she could do more than just lie in bed. “We will do what we must,” she says, resolved, and Kara smiles. 

“Kal and I knew we could depend on you.” 

“Kara,” Lena starts to say, but there is a sharp knock on the chamber door, and she is immediately on her feet. 

Two ladies and the court physician bustle inside to tend to the patient. “His majesty, Kal-El, is waiting for you, your majesty,” one of the ladies tells her, and she sighs. 

“I’ll be back to check on you, your highness,” she says. “Do not try to get out of that bed before the doctor lets you.” 

Kara grins at her sternness, and it is easy to promise to be on her best behavior. Lena sweeps out, one of the ladies trailing in her wake, and the doctor brusquely checks her injuries. “You seem to be healing quite quickly, your highness,” he remarks. “I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do for the broken ribs, however. You’ll just have to stay as still as possible until they knit themselves back together.” 

“And how long will that be?” she asks impatiently. 

“At the rate you seem to be healing, three days,” he guesses, frowning. “I’ve not seen anything like this. Your cousin, his majesty, is already back up on his feet.” 

“Kryptonians are notoriously hard to kill,” Kara says with a grin, and the doctor shakes his head and laughs. 

“So it would seem, your highness. I heard your promise to the queen. Stay abed until tomorrow at least.” 

“Yes, sir,” she is forced to agree. 

He hands her a cup and orders her to drink, and then she is left to herself. It would appear he gave her a sleeping draught, because minutes later, she slips into an uneasy dream. 

Her room is dark when she wakes, gasping, from a nightmare of riding up to the palace too late to save Lena, but right away, there is a gentle hand on her forehead and a voice telling her she’s all right. “I’m here,” Lena promises, and it’s all she needs to hear before sleep claims her again. 

The first light of morning is illuminating her room when she wakes again, and she is surprised to find the queen asleep beside her, dark hair spilling across her pillow. She has had the nightmare again, but sunlight and the sight of the dear face beside her have banished her terror. 

Carefully, she tests the pain in her ribs and finds she can gingerly sit up. She swings her legs over the side of the bed and cautiously pushes herself to her feet. “You promised me,” an accusation comes, thick with sleep, from the queen, and she laughs, though it pains her. 

“Just…testing my sea legs,” she say sheepishly, as Lena sits up. “You stayed all night?” she asks, suddenly feeling vulnerable. 

“I couldn’t leave you,” Lena whispers, and Kara’s heart could beat through her chest. 

Her legs become very unsteady, and she has to sit down on the bed again. “I… Thank you,” is what she says, instead of anything else she’s thinking. 

“Kara,” Lena says, voice soft and gentle, “come here.” 

And so she turns and is folded into Lena’s arms, and though her ribs ache, she has never been more comfortable. She rests her head against Lena’s neck, and Lena presses two kisses to the crown of her head. 

“Did you speak with Kal?” Kara asks, but Lena hushes her. 

“Not now, please. I am not…ready for war.” 

And Kara knows this must be a terrible burden for Lena, so she says nothing. But she worries. 

Eventually, the doctor and Lena’s ladies in waiting return, and they are forced apart. Lena leaves her for another meeting with Kal, and Kara demands that the doctor tell her when he’s going to drug her next time. “Apologies, your highness,” he says graciously. “The queen did indicate that you might be a bit stubborn about staying in bed.” His eyes twinkle, and any irritation she might have felt flees from her. 

“I will not be drugged today, if you don’t mind,” she insists, and he merely nods. 

“Well. You are healing marvelously well,” he informs her, removing all of the bandages but the one on her side. “Perhaps tomorrow I will let you out of bed.” 

“Thank you,” she replies, and he smiles and takes his leave. 

She whiles away the long, lonely, tedious hours of the day by half-reading a book of romances. She should be sitting in on the councils of war; Kal will need her when they ride out. But she also begins to realize how hard it will be to leave. If there is one thing the past few years have shown her—and the past few days, even clearer—it is that she cannot be without Lena Luthor. 

“Am I in love with her?” she asks herself, after long hours of introspection. 

The answer presents itself when the lady herself arrives in her chambers after sunset, dressed in blue, long dark hair hanging down her back, and a slim golden circlet atop her head. Kara’s pulse quickens at the sight of her, and she nods once to herself. “And how to tell her?” is her self’s next question. 

“The doctor tells me you are almost well,” Lena says, taking a seat beside her. “Kal looks like he’s never even seen a battle.” 

“The House of El is…resilient,” Kara says with a smile, and Lena returns it. 

“I imagine you were terribly bored all day.” 

“Terribly!” she agrees. “It is so kind of you to visit.” 

“There isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be,” Lena tells her, voice low, and Kara can now her hear own heartbeat. 

“How lucky for me,” she manages, offering a trademark grin. 

Lena bends forward and kisses her forehead. “Lucky for me you’re still trapped here.” 

“Oh hey. That’s not fair,” she protests. “Where would I go?” 

Lena shakes her head. “Never mind, never mind. I am just…worried for the future.” 

“Well, since I’m out of the loop, take a break from worrying about the future and entertain me,” she suggests impishly, and is gratified to hear Lena’s laughter. 

“Entertain you, hmm? And how might I do that?” she asks, with such a look on her face that Kara is nearly certain she knows how Kara feels about her. 

“Oh. Well,” she stumbles and stutters, blushing. 

“Kara,” Lena says, slightly questioning, but then her ladies bustle in, asking if she will be spending the night with her highness again, and the tension is broken. 

"I will...be fine on my own for the night," Kara makes herself say, feeling markedly less bold now that the queen's ladies have pierced their bubble. 

Lena nods once. "Sleep well, your highness," she says, and takes her leave. 

Kara knows that she won't, is almost certain she'll have more nightmares, but she's too proud to ask Lena to stay. 

 

As soon as she is well enough to ride, she and Kal will leave for home, with Lena’s troops and their own. The doctor pronounces her well enough on the third morning, and there is barely a day left for her to spend with the queen. Maddeningly, Kal never leaves them alone, as the three of them must continue to go over the plans for the coming fight. 

Finally, after an endless day, Lena bids Kal goodnight and asks Kara to escort her back to her chambers. Time is running perilously short for her to tell the queen how she feels. “Your majesty,” she starts to say, but of course Lena’s ladies appear to help their queen undress. 

Sighing, Kara turns away, arms folded across her chest, and waits for the ladies to disappear. 

“Kara,” Lena says softly, once they are alone, “you will be careful, won’t you?” 

“Yes. I will do everything I can to come back to you,” she pledges. 

“To me?” Lena asks, a hitch in her voice, and Kara nods. 

“Yes. Lena. I love you,” she confesses boldly, but winces as Lena’s eyes immediately fill with tears. 

“Oh. Kara, why did you… Right now?” Lena asks, pained, and Kara can only scowl in confusion. 

“I’m sorry to have caused you distress, your majesty,” she says in her court voice, and Lena nearly crumples. 

“Kara. Dammit, Kara, I love you,” she cries, and ignoring everything else, Kara goes to her and envelops the queen in her arms. “You have to know how I love you.” 

“I…hoped,” she says. “I didn’t know how to tell you.” 

“Nor I you. But oh, Kara, how can I let you go to war now?” 

“I couldn’t go without telling you. I couldn’t… I’m sorry,” she says, but she’s not, not really. 

Her heart feels lighter than it has since she and Kal left Krypton. And Lena is in her arms, and she is leaving tomorrow, so she does the only thing there is to do. She gently, carefully, chastely kisses the queen. 

Lena clings to her and returns the kiss, but Kara tastes salt and pulls away to thumb the tears off of Lena’s cheeks. “Sweetheart,” she murmurs, and Lena kisses her again. 

“Stay. Tonight,” Lena whispers, and of course she does. 

 

Kara has no earthly idea how she is going to force her body to leave this place. Leaving the queen in her bed to go report to Kal early that morning had felt like the worst thing she'd ever done. And now she stands beside Kal, both arrayed in their battle armor, as the queen gives her speech to send them and her own troops off to war. It is terrible. But King Kal-El is there to keep up morale, and so all she has do to do is play the stoic soldier. 

When it comes time to take her official leave of the queen, the stoic soldier crumbles. “No tears, your highness,” Lena orders, but her voice is gentle, and she carefully pins the Luthor coat of arms to Kara's cloak. 

“No tears, your majesty,” Kara lies, but she keeps her brave face and bows carefully. “Thank you for the favor.” 

“Be well. Be safe. Come back to me.” 

“I will,” Kara pledges, and then Kal is at her elbow, and they are leaving. Leaving behind their last refuge for the threat that waits just outside Krypton’s borders. 

“Did you tell her?” Kal asks, once they are out of the city. 

“Tell her?” Kara repeats dumbly, and Kal smiles slyly. 

“Tell the queen that you love her,” he whispers, and Kara feels her whole body flush. 

“Kal-El!” 

He grins, taking her indignance for admission. Which of course it is. “I promise to get you home safely to your queen, Kara Zor-El,” he vows in his court voice. But she just rolls her eyes and urges her horse ahead. His fond laughter is comfort enough to keep her from despair.


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This kind of got away from me. I think I bit off more than I could chew with this idea, but hey! It has an ending! Thanks to everyone who read and commented. I actually finished this because of you.

There is nothing for the queen do now but to wait for news and to try to keep her kingdom together in the meantime. Lord Calum has been urging her to seek a marriage alliance since she was restored to her throne, but the very idea of that turns her stomach. Still, she knows it is politically expedient to entertain suitors, and so she does, reluctantly.  

 

While she is meeting the sons of dukes and earls and princes from some of the smaller kingdoms clustered to her south, news comes that there have already been huge losses to King Kal-El's army. It is all she can do not to faint, and fortunately, the messenger next tells her that the king and the princess both remain well. Still, it is the most unwelcome news that their forces are already being overwhelmed.  

 

To make things even worse, days after the news of the fight going poorly reaches the rest of the kingdom, she receives a report of a sinister group abducting foreign-born villagers. Her advisers, at least, are clearly as troubled by this as she is, but the court at large seems reluctant to waste their already limited resources on protecting foreigners. Only a few have said so outright, so Lena makes small increases in the home guard where she can. 

   
"Your majesty," Lord Calum says, late one evening after another long session with her inner council, "some of this strain would be alleviated..."   
   
"Yes, yes, Gregory, I know," she sighs. "None of these men have been suitable." 

 

"If your majesty would forgive me, I could also...introduce you to suitable young women?" He guesses, and Lena feels her face flush.   
   
"No, that's..." She shakes her head. It doesn't matter which gender her suitors are. Her heart already belongs to someone.    
   
"Forgive my boldness, your majesty," Lord Calum says quietly.   
   
"You were not far from the mark, Gregory," she says graciously. "But... Oh, well, do keep sending whomever you think best."   
   
He nods and takes his leave. And she is left alone to her thoughts and worries for Kara. She wonders, later, how her kingdom, so suspicious of outsiders, will ever stand for a foreign king as well as a foreign queen. But Lord Calum and the others still think a marriage alliance is her best option.  

 

 

The war continues to go badly, but she receives welcome news the that group rounding up foreigners has been caught. She dispatches justice, warming to this part of her duties, and manages to do so without provoking much infighting. The leaders of this terror group are from an old family who had allied itself with Lillian against her, so she cannot punish them as much as she would like, but she does banish them from the court. Lord Calum nods at her once when it is all over, and she lets herself feel proud.  

 

It is in the midst of this rare feeling of contentment that she receives reports that her army is on the run. Heart in her throat, she demands news of Kal-El and Kara, but her messenger has none to give her. “What do I do now, Gregory?” she whispers to Lord Calum, who can only put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  

   
Another messenger arrives, and she hopes for a moment, but he is not wearing her colors or Krypton’s. He is dressed in gold and blue, and he sweeps off his hat to bow to her. He is from Prince Jakim of the Southern Isles, who sends his compliments to the queen and an offer of 10,000 men to send to her aid.    
   
“10,000 men? Is this a true offer?” she asks, taken aback.   
   
The messenger nods. “The Prince and his army are but two days behind me. What say you, your majesty?”   
   
“I say Prince Jakim is most welcome in my kingdom,” she replies, trying not to show how bewildered she is. “Thank you, sir.” 

   
“I am at your service, your majesty,” the man replies, and bows again.   
   
   
Prince Jakim arrives two days later as promised, at the head of 10,000 men. He is tall and dark, but when he smiles at her in greeting, his face lights up, and she is reminded forcefully of Kal. “Your majesty, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he says, bowing with his fist over his heart.   
   
“Welcome, your highness,” she says quietly. “Do you really offer your 10,000 men?” 

   
“I do. We have been troubled by the reports of the war in the north. I have come with 10,000 men from the southern kingdoms, eager to aid our neighbors.” 

 

“Your aid is most welcome, my lord,” she says, and he smiles.    
   
They soon convene a war council, and an accord is reached, and two days later, the army marches out, with a small contingent of Lena’s own guard to guide them. Prince Jakim remains at court with her, confessing that he has very little facility with arms. “I am the younger son, you see,” he says, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “My father allowed me to stay inside and read, while my brother learned the art of war.” 

 

“And where is your brother?” she asks, thinking it might have made more sense to send the warrior son to her, and he smiles sadly. “Forgive me, your highness. I am sorry for your loss.”   
   
“Thank you, your majesty,” Jakim says quietly.  

 

“I am glad of your company, at any rate,” she tells him, and she realizes it’s not just courtly flattery. He is solid and warm and enough like Kal that he has brought her the only comfort she’s known since her friends had left.  

   
“I am at your service,” he pledges.  

And so she finds herself spending much of her days with Prince Jakim, who is always eager to learn more of her kingdom, to meet more of her court, to take a turn on guard duty and walk among her people. Lord Calum is not even subtle in his hint that she would do well to marry him.  

 

He is not wrong, and so when Jakim asks her, so formally, but so kindly, if she would honor him by accepting his hand, she thinks of her kingdom and the war they might win with his help, and says yes. And Jakim has managed, in a few short weeks, to endear himself so well at court and down in the villages, that nearly everyone receives the news happily.   
   
There are the grumblers, the ones who still mistrust the foreign born, but the truth is now that the tide is turning in the war in the north, thanks in no small part to Jakim’s army. The reports Lena receives now are hopeful a resolution will be reached before winter falls.    
   
Her advisers, Lord Calum at their head, set a wedding date, and she tries to ignore the ache in her chest. Two weeks before the ceremony is planned, she receives news that Kal-El is bargaining for peace. She sends Lord Calum and Lady Rowena to act in her stead, and she pushes her wedding back two more weeks.  

 

When official word comes that the war has ended, Lena sends the finest beer and wine in her cellars around to all the villages to fete the returning soldiers. And quietly pushes the wedding date back again. Prince Jakim only seems pleased that she is looking to the care of her people and agrees there is no rush to marry.  

 

She receives word that Kal-El and Kara have returned to Krypton safely two days after the first of her own people return home. It is all she can do not to order her things packed up, so she can run to see them. Prince Jakim watches her receive this news and makes no comment, but he smiles to see her looking so happy. “The king and the princess—they are dear friends of yours?” he asks, and she nods.    
   
“We grew up together. Our families were close before…” She shakes her head. “King Kal-El and Princess Kara are the only good things left from my childhood.” 

   
He covers her hands with his own and offers a kind smile. “Shall we pay them a visit?” he asks, but she reluctantly shakes her head.   
   
“Not yet. We must care for my—our—people first,” she decides, and he nods once.    
   
“As you wish, your majesty. Point me at the first task!” He grins, and she laughs and sends him to meet with her returning officers.  

 

It is easy to use the end of the war as an excuse to push the wedding date even further. There must be a celebration to welcome the brave men and women returning home, she reasons, and Prince Jakim is entirely understanding. He is glad to help her plan the festivities, glad to stand with her while she welcomes everyone home, glad to go among the soldiers and see that they have what they need.  

 

He is everything the kingdom needs in a king, and he is never anything but patient and gentle with her. She’s seen so much duplicity from her own court that she feels sure it’s not an act. And she knows that agreeing to marry him has given the kingdom stability and her army the strength to win the war, but she still wishes for a way out of her promise.  

 

On the night after the grand banquet, he escorts her to her chambers. “My lady,” he says, with a gentle smile, and kisses her hand.  

 

And that is all. He bids her goodnight and leaves her to her ladies. She’s never experienced courting so…courteous. Any number of men—and not a few women—have tried to find their way into her bedroom since she came of age. The prince is the only one who seems content to wait. He would be a good husband and a good king. But, she finally admits to herself, he is not Kara Zor-El. 

 

The next morning, she receives an invitation from King Kal-El to celebrate the hard-won peace for both their kingdoms. She has not seen Kal or Kara since they had left her to ride off to the mountains, and she is eager to accept the invitation. And then she realizes she must bring the prince. 

 

   
Kara and Kal are both at the gates to welcome her party, Kal in blue and Kara in red, both beautiful and cheerful and so dear to her. She nearly leaps off her horse to get to them the faster, but of course Jakim is there to catch her and carefully hand her down. She can’t help but think of running to Kara, but oh… 

 

They curtsey to each other instead, and Kal bows and boomingly welcomes her people to his kingdom. “And I don’t believe we know this young lord, your majesty,” he says, with a friendly smile for Jakim. 

   
“Your majesty, allow me to introduce Prince Jakim of the Southern Isles. My fiancée,” she says, looking only at Kal. 

   
His eyes cloud for only a moment, before he clasps Jakim’s forearm and heartily welcomes him to Krypton. She cannot look at Kara; she cannot. But she has to. And Kara’s eyes are filled with tears. 

   
There is no time to explain, no room to beg forgiveness. They can only follow Kal into the palace.  

 

 

They avoid each other all day, each speaking only to Kal, and he handles it as diplomatically as he is able. There is a welcome feast, and it is easy to sit with Kal between them, but Jakim is on her other side, being solicitous and asking intelligent questions about the customs of the kingdom, and she hates how much she likes his company.  

 

Eventually, she is able to excuse herself to retire to her chambers. She bids Jakim to stay and enjoy the feast, and Kal is happy to have him. She waits, just outside the hall, hoping Kara will follow her, and she is not disappointed. “If you’ll allow me to escort you to your chambers, your majesty,” Kara says softly, offering her arm.    
   
Lena takes it, and they walk to her room in silence, two of Kara’s ladies trailing them. “Leave us,” she orders them gently, and leads Lena into her room.    
   
“Forgive me,” is the only thing she can think to say, as soon as Kara has shut the door behind them.   
   
“Do you love him?” she asks, hardly a quiver in her voice. But it’s there, and it’s the fact that Kara so nearly covers it up that rips Lena’s heart apart.    
   
“Of course not,” she rushes to say, taking a step toward Kara. But Kara takes a step back, and she can hardly bear it. “Kara…”   
   
“I know you have your reasons. I know this is all part of being queen. But I cannot…” 

 

“I could not hold my throne or my kingdom together without help,” she says in a rush, willing Kara to understand. “I had to entertain so many suitors. And he turned up when things were at their worst. He brought a whole army. He was not proud or stupid or pushy.” 

   
“I see,” Kara says evenly. 

 

“He also was not you,” Lena continues. “I have postponed the wedding three times now.” 

 

“It was you, you know,” Kara says, clearly fighting to keep emotion out of her voice.    
   
“What was?” Lena asks carefully, wanting so much to take Kara in her arms. But she stands still and waits.   
   
“That got me home. It got bad, Lena, so, so bad. Worse than I ever could have imagined. My whole life, I’ve just been playing at war, fooling around with other young idiots. But then I was in the middle of the real thing. And our people—men, women, idiot boys who lied about their age to follow Kal—kept dying around us. I thought I’d never get home, never get back…to you. It would have been easy to give in, to just die with my people, but I had…” Kara shakes her head, swallows once, and holds up her hands when Lena tries to move toward her. “I had promised you I’d come home,” she finishes, and then the tears fall.  

Lena’s heart shatters. She’s almost lost Kara twice now, and she is here, standing right in front of her, and she cannot touch her. She cannot ease the pain in Kara’s heart at all.    
   
Kara regains control of her emotions and lifts her head up. “And then, if the Southern army had not come… Well, we would have all died. Prince Jakim has saved us. I cannot ask you to break your word to so honorable a man,” Kara says finally.   
   
Lena doesn’t care anything at all about Jakim or honor or even the fate of her own kingdom. She just wants Kara to stop hurting. “I would my break word in an instant,” she says quietly. “If you asked. All you have to do is ask, Kara.” 

 

She watches as Kara’s resolve almost breaks, but she shakes her head, slowly, just once. “We have just begun to recover from one disastrous war. I will not be the cause of another with this kingdom that should be your ally.” 

 

Despair threatens to overwhelm her, but she swallows it down. She notices Kara’s fists are clenched at her sides, and all she wants to do is to ease those fingers apart, to thread her own through them, to ask Kara Zor-El to do her the honor of accepting her hand in marriage. But they are trapped by the promise she has already made, and so her own hands ball into fists.    
 

“Goodnight, your majesty,” Kara says eventually, with a small bow. “Sleep well.” 

 

 

The visit, which should have been wonderful, becomes fraught. She doesn’t sleep, and she cries when she is alone. Worst of all, she notices that Kara looks as though she’s experiencing the same afflictions. Kal is worried and tries to draw them both out, but there is little they can say with Prince Jakim there.  

 

The prince is the perfect diplomat, acquitting himself wonderfully with the Kryptonian court, and Lena tells herself over and over that this is what’s best. She’ll be able to open up trade to kingdoms across the sea for her own kingdom and Krypton through her new husband, which will help them both recover from their ordeal. But she wonders if she really possesses the strength to go through with it.  

 

Kara, apparently, is strong enough to let her.    
   
They return home after barely a week, her advisers anxious for the wedding, and she leaves Kara with barely a word of farewell. 

 

 

 

Kara stands beside Kal as they watch the queen and her prince ride away from them, knees locked so she won’t fall over, but never has she felt despair like this. Not even when it seemed certain she would lose the war, her home, her chance to return to Lena. For though she has won the war and saved her home, Lena is lost to her.  

 

The next week feels like a dream she can’t wake up from. Kal is always by her side, trying to draw her out of herself, but she cannot clear her head.    
   
“Kara,” Kal-El says gently, one morning as they take breakfast in his chambers. “She would put off the prince if you asked her to.”   
   
“Gods dammit, Kal,” she swears quietly. “She said the same cursed thing. Would you have me start another war?” 

   
“Prince Jakim is a good man. He might be convinced to stand aside if he knows the love you bear for each other.”   
   
“He is the reason we won our war, Kal-El,” Kara says, grinding her teeth.   
   
“There are other ways than marriage to forge alliances, Kara.”   
   
“Did you say any of this to Lena?” she demands, but he shakes his head.   
   
“I did not realize how hard this was for you until it was too late. I will help you, cousin,” he says. “Lena, the prince, and I can work out an alliance with all three of our kingdoms that does not involve anyone getting married.”   
   
“How?” Kara asks, mind reeling.   
   
“I haven’t figured that out yet,” he admits sheepishly, and she reluctantly laughs at him. “But it can be done. We have received our wedding invitations,” he says gently, and Kara can’t help it. She faints. 

 

When Kal brings her around, he makes her drink a glass of orange juice and then eat her bowl of porridge. “You have not been eating,” he realizes with a frown.   
   
“Broken heart you know, Kal,” she mutters, and he sighs.    
   
“Go to her, Kara,” he orders. “Whatever happens with the prince, I will take care of it.”   
   
“You are not omnipotent. You cannot fix all of my problems!” She is shouting, but she doesn’t know why. Why is she angry at Kal, who has only ever wanted to help her?   
   
“Easy, Kara,” he says softly, like he’s trying to tame a spooked horse.  

 

“Forgive me,” she mutters, and he nods. “She’s made up her mind, Kal.”   
   
Kal-El sighs, but nods again. “And I see you’ve made up yours. I will make your excuses at the wedding festivities.”   
   
“No. I’m not a coward,” Kara insists. “This is my duty to Krypton, is it not?”   
   
“No,” Kal says, his voice soft. “This is not your duty to Krypton. I am king. Do not put yourself through this for the kingdom.” 

   
She swallows hard and shakes her head to dash the tears from her eyes. “I cannot let her think I am no longer her friend,” she says quietly, and Kal puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.    
   
“I swear it, Kara, your heart is too big.” But his voice is fond, and his smile is kind, and she buries her face in his chest, seeking comfort in the one person who has always stood by her.  

 

 

It is three days before her wedding, and the Kryptonians have arrived. She has expected Kal-El to come alone, but Kara is with him, in dark trousers and a brilliant red tunic with House El’s shield emblazoned across it, a silver crown of leaves on her head. Her heart stops at the sight of her, standing beside Kal, and then flutters as she receives her old friend’s gentle smile.    
   
“Welcome, your highness, your majesty. Prince Jakim and I are so pleased you could join us.”   
   
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Kal-El says with a boyish grin that finds a mirror on Jakim’s face. The two men clasp arms, and then Lena leads their party into the palace.    
   
Kal immediately gets Jakim talking about hunting, and Lena carefully hangs back to walk with Kara. “Might I invite you to take your evening meal with me, in my chambers, your highness?” she asks, and Kara inclines her head.    
   
“I am at your service, your majesty,” she says, and then they are both swept up into courtly duties.    
   
But that evening, she sits at the table in her antechamber, in a loose-fitting blue gown, her hair trailing down her back, and waits for Kara. At seven o’clock, she appears in simple cloth trousers and a blue tunic, her own golden hair in one long braid, and Lena feels her pulse quicken. Kara has always been beautiful, but like this, she all but steals Lena’s breath.   
   
“Your majesty,” she greets Lena with a soft smile.   
   
“Kara, please, sit,” she invites, and Kara obeys. “I admit I am surprised to see you,” she says quietly.    
   
A small sigh escapes Kara’s lips, and Lena bows her head. “Whatever happens, Lena, I am your friend,” she says, but all Lena hears is unshed tears. “I will not let my friend get married without me.” 

 

“Gods, Kara, how can you stand it?” she almost cries, but she bites her tongue. Kara is here, despite the pain it costs her, and so she will not make her pain worse.   
   
“Thank you,” she says, because she is truly grateful. “It is wonderful to have friends here.”   
   
Kara manages a smile, and they eat their meal in companionable silence. “Have you met Prince Jakim’s family yet?” she asks, after a while.   
   
“His sisters and his mother arrived yesterday. They have been very kind.” 

   
“I’m glad.”   
   
All the words they cannot say to each other hang between them, and Lena feels like she will break. But she can’t. If Kara is strong enough for this, then so is she.  

   
Kara soon takes her leave, kissing her hand before she goes, and she does not sleep at all that night.  

 

 

The next day is full of preparations and meetings and tea with her new in-laws. Jakim and his sisters are easy and affectionate with each other, and her heart aches as she remembers how Kal and Lex had been her big brothers before things had gone so badly wrong.    
   
That night, Jakim walks with her in her rose garden after the evening meal, asking if everything is well, everything to her satisfaction, and all she can do is bravely lie. “Your friend, Kara Zor-El, she is most entertaining,” he says casually. “I watched her dispatch five of my knights and six of yours without breaking a sweat. And she had them all laughing by the end of it.” He smiles at her, and she wills herself not to cry.   
   
“Kara and her cousin the king are my oldest friends,” she says, thankful that her voice remains even. “And yes, Kara has always been rather famous for embarrassing the knights of our realms.” 

 

Jakim laughs and draws his arm about her. She doesn’t mind the familiarity, but it feels more like walking with Kal-El than with her future husband. “I’m glad the Kryptonians are here. They are your true family, yes?”   
   
“Yes,” she replies, grateful that he understands.  

   
“Lena,” he says gently, using her name for the first time, “something is causing you pain. Is it me?” 

   
“Jakim, no. No. You are everything a queen needs in a husband.”   
   
“I had not flattered myself so much that I believed you were in love with me, but I did think you were at least fond of me. But then I saw your face when Kara Zor-El arrived.” His voice is still gentle, his arm around her still comforting, but she feels trapped. “You had seemed so sad when we were in Krypton and sadder still when we left, and I could not figure out why.” 

   
“I must admit I had not expected her,” she says quietly, instead of addressing the question he has not asked.    
   
And so he asks it. “She loves you?” he says, though he seems to already know the answer.    
   
She nods once. “And you love her,” he continues and does not need her confirmation. “My queen,” he says, bowing to her. “I release you from your promise.” 

   
“Jakim,” she protests, but he shakes his head.    
   
“I do not need to be king. I came here to help you and the kingdom of Krypton. You are our protection from the mountains; if you fall, we all fall. I was happy to offer my hand, because I saw that you were a good and thoughtful ruler. But I cannot ask you to marry me when you so clearly love another.” 

   
“But—everything… Jakim, your family, your people. I cannot make this right if we do not wed.” 

   
“You and I can enter into an alliance without a marriage, can we not?” he asks, as if it’s the most obvious solution in the world, and of course he is right, but… 

 

“Your highness, forgive me, but my position in my own kingdom has always been uncertain. I have grown up on lies and suspicions and double-dealings, and I have tried to end such things in my time as queen, but you never forget the first lessons you learn. Your offer is too good to be true. And you are here, in my home, with 10,000 of your men, telling me that you do not wish to be king because I am foolish enough to have fallen in love. What is it that you are trying to accomplish?” She faces him, her eyes alight, waiting for him to reveal his true aim, but he only nods. 

 

“You are right to be suspicious, majesty. But I truly have no need to be king. I am here only as an emissary of the southern kingdoms who heard your plea and sent their men. Only a fraction of the army I brought you are my own men, you must know.”   
   
“Then why did you propose?” 

 

“We are a good match, Lena. I like your people, and I think they like me. We would have ruled well together, and we would have opened opportunities for your kingdom and the southern kingdoms together. And, well,” he confesses, blushing, “you are very beautiful.” 

   
Lena actually throws back her head and laughs. It is the most mirthful she has felt since before Lionel died. “Oh, Jakim. You really are too good to be true,” she tells him, but her voice is full of fondness, and he smiles.  

 

He reaches carefully for her hands. “Lena, I cannot pretend that you would not be miserable, married to me. A good husband would do everything he could to alleviate his wife’s sadness. So I will.”   
   
“You are not my husband,” she says, but he just laughs. 

   
“And that is how I will alleviate your sadness.” 

 

She smiles, even as the tears start to fall, and he draws her into his arms. “Leave everything to me,” he says. “I am a rather gifted diplomat.” 

   
“Your highness. Thank you,” she manages. “If you’ll send for your ministers, we can draw up a mutually beneficial treaty tonight.”   
   
And so Lord Calum, Lady Rowena, and Jakim’s advisers meet with them in her throne room. They are startled to hear that the wedding will not take place, but soon happy enough to write an alliance treaty. Lena offers to bring the treaty to Kal-El in the morning, and Jakim’s people are thrilled. Finally, their affairs are settled to everyone’s satisfaction. 

 

Jakim walks her to her chambers and leaves her with a bow and a promise to make the announcement in the morning. She yearns to go to Kara right away, but she cannot find the courage.  

 

After another sleepless night, she rises to take breakfast in the great hall. Jakim and his sisters are waiting for her. Kal and Kara are at one of the lower tables, animatedly discussing something with two of her knights. The southern princesses kiss her cheek and wish her happiness, and she looks at Jakim wonderingly. He winks at her and stands up.  

   
“My people,” he begins, and every head in the room swivels to look at him. “It is my sad duty to inform you that the wedding you are here to witness will not be taking place. The queen and I have realized that we are not a compatible match as husband and wife. Instead of cementing the friendship between our kingdoms with a marriage, we have drawn up a mutually beneficial treaty. For though we are not destined to be husband and wife, I feel we are already great friends.” He turns to Lena with a smile as bright as any Kal or Kara has given her, and the tears fall fast.    
   
She hastily rubs them away, as Jakim continues, thanking everyone for their aid, their patience, and their understanding. When he finishes, Kal stands up, his goblet raised in one hand. “That was a fine, compassionate thing you did, your highness,” he says. “Krypton would also happily enter into an alliance with the Southern kingdoms.”   
 

Jakim stands back up and salutes Kal with a fist over his heart, and the great hall erupts into chatter. “Thank you,” Lena whispers, as he sits down beside her.    
   
“It is nothing, your majesty,” he says kindly.  

 

“It is everything,” she says, and finally makes herself look at Kara. 

 

Kara sits at her cousin’s side, in old riding clothes, her hair wound up in two tight braids, and her eyes fixed at the wall in front of her. For a brief moment, she wonders what Kara was planning to do this day. But then all she is aware of is the thunder of her own heart in her ears, as she waits for some reaction from the woman she loves.  

 

Finally, Kara stands and turns her eyes to the high table. And she walks out of the hall. The crowd is too busy discussing the news to take much notice of her, but Kal watches after her with a frown, and Lena feels as though her heart will never be whole. Jakim turns to her and nods toward the doorway. “Don’t let her get away, your majesty,” he whispers, and so she bolts after Kara. 

   
“Did you see which way the princess went?” she demands of a passing serving girl.   
   
“No, majesty,” the girl replies, with a curtsey. Lena nods and hurries past. She walks as quickly as she can to Kara’s chambers, but she is not there.    
   
Remembering she was dressed for riding, she hurries to the stables. “Has Kara Zor-El been here?” she asks one of her grooms.   
   
“Aye, majesty. She’s just taken her horse out. Shall I get your’n?” he asks helpfully, but she is not dressed for riding, so she shakes her head.   
   
“No. Thank you, Robert.” 

   
“Majesty,” he says, with a bow, and she hurries out into the yard.  

   
Kara is there, astride her horse, both stock still, and Lena wants to run to her, but she makes herself approach slowly. “Your highness,” she calls softly, and the horse, who knows Lena, turns. But Kara does not.    
   
“Majesty,” she replies stiffly, and Lena cannot understand why Kara is holding herself apart.    
   
“Kara, I am not marrying him,” she says, trying not to sound impatient.   
 

“Why,” Kara replies dully, as though it’s not even a question.   
   
“Kara. What do you want me to do?” she asks pleadingly. “I will kneel in the mud right now and ask you to marry me.”   
   
That gets a reaction, thankfully, and Kara looks down at her as if seeing her for the first time. She leaps gracefully from her horse and stands beside Lena. “What did you say to him?” she asks, and Lena sighs.   
   
“He figured out that I am in love with you,” she admits. “He is an even better man than I realized.”   
   
“He gave you up, just like that? His plans to be king? Just because he saw you loved someone else? Lena,” Kara says urgently, “this is nothing but a trap.”   
   
“Don’t you think I’ve thought of that?” Lena demands. “We have a treaty, an agreement. He will not violate it.”   
   
Kara shakes her head. “I can’t believe you’d be so naïve.”   
   
Lena is stunned. She never expected Kara to act like this, to accuse her, who has been through so much, of being naïve. “You’ve already given up on me,” she realizes, and her knees threaten to buckle.   
   
Kara sees her unsteadiness and catches her easily. She takes this opportunity to wind her arms around Kara’s neck. “Lena,” Kara protests, but her heart isn’t in it.    
   
“Don’t give up on me, Kara Zor-El,” Lena says softly, and Kara closes her eyes.   
   
“This is real?” she asks, her voice rough with tears about to be shed.   
   
“Oh sweetheart. Yes, this is real,” Lena promises and kisses her carefully. 

 

And then Kara is crying, head bent, hands shoved into the pockets of her trousers, and Lena can only hold her close. After a minute, Kara’s horse nudges her worriedly, and Kara laughs and breaks away to calm the animal. “Come inside,” Lena urges quietly, and she nods.    
   
They take Kara’s horse back to the stables and then return to the castle, Lena’s arm threaded securely through Kara’s. Immediately, Kal and Jakim are upon them, both the picture of anxiety, and it is all Lena can do not to laugh in their faces. “Everything is fine,” she assures them, and they heave identical sighs of relief.    
   
“Oh. I can see how he reminded you of Kal,” Kara says, and smiles at Jakim.   
   
“Your highness,” he says, with a bow.    
   
“It seems I am in your debt, Prince Jakim,” Kara says formally, returning his bow, but Jakim waves it away.    
   
“It is only what my conscience told me was right, your highness.” 

   
“Come, Lena, we have many anxious ministers eager to formalize our new alliance,” Kal says reluctantly.    
   
“Go,” Kara urges. “I will be easy to find when you are done.” She leaves Lena with a kiss on the forehead and retires to her own chambers.  

 

The sun has set by the time all parties are satisfied with the new alliance, and Lena is nearly out of patience. She all but ignores Kal-El and Jakim, making apologies she doesn’t mean, and practically runs to Kara’s chambers, dignity be damned.    
   
“Lena!” Kara laughs, opening the door to her, and she wastes no time.    
   
“Marry me,” she says, still standing in the corridor, and Kara has to tug her inside.  

 “What?” and a bemused frown are Kara’s response.   
   
“Marry me,” she says again. “There’s supposed to be a wedding tomorrow anyway.” 

   
Kara laughs and picks her up and kisses her. “Are you sure?” 

   
“I love you,” she pledges, and nothing comes between them that night. 

Or ever again. 


End file.
